The seven counties of the South West will between them have just one dedicated reporter for both sport and politics following the ITV merger in the New Year.
The political reporter will have to cover the shenanigans of 51 MPs and 51 local authorities, while the sports coverage will include two Championship teams, three Guinness Premiership rugby sides, six other football teams and seven lower-division rugby sides.
Not surprisingly, there are fears that this will mean a focus on events in the Bristol area, because of its larger population, at the expense of Devon and Cornwall and other rural areas.
It’s all part of ITV’s wheeze to axe almost 100 jobs in the region as part of its plans to bin 1,000 workers nationwide in the face of collapsing ad revenues.
An ITV spokesman defended the new arrangement, saying that although there would be only one dedicated reporter for both sport and politics, other reporters would be expected to work in both areas.
Posted by Thin White Duke
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